Howard and Daniel Glickberg — the CEO and vice-president of Fairway, respectively –- said they will turn a portion of space used for the café into a bagel bakery. The café, however, will retain the same number of seats, they said.

“Upper West Siders are very passionate about a lot of things,” said Howard Glickberg. ”We knew when we’d it have some blowback about it.”

The café, located on the second floor of the popular grocery store, is a hangout for many residents, politicians and even celebrities. It’s known for its brunches, and at night it transforms into a steakhouse.

Former New York magazine food critic Gael Greene was among the café’s fans, and she gleefully broke the news that it would stay open on her “Insatiable Critic” blog.

The Glickbergs said they’ve come up with a compromise to keep the marginally profitable café open, while also expanding aisles and adding product cases to improve the grocery store. For every customer in the café, they noted, there are 50 to 100 shoppers in the grocery store.

“We’re able to keep the café going and still improve the shopping experience for the rest of the store,” said Howard Glickberg.

The store will soon face competition from Trader Joe’s on the Upper West Side, set to open just a few blocks away.